The LeadersIn Maritime Law

Dismemberment in Oil Rig Explosions

Offshore drilling provides 24% of U.S. oil and 25% of U.S. gas supply,
but the offshore drilling industry is one of the most dangerous fields.
In the offshore industry, it is all too easy to be crushed by heavy machinery
(such as a forklift, hoist, wench, flywheel, pulley, or spindle) or struck
by a cable or mooring line. It is also very easy to slip due to the wet
conditions you work in. The combination of heavy equipment, chains, winches,
cables, nets, sharp knives, processing equipment, moving lines, and shifting
cargo can result in dismemberment.

An engineering professor described the dangers inherent in the offshore
drilling industry with these words,

"You've got equipment and steel strung out over a long piece of
geography starting at surface and terminating at 18,000 feet below the
sea floor. So it has many potential weak points. Just as Katrina's
storm surge found weaknesses in those piles of dirt—the levees—gas
likes to find weakness in anything we connect to that source."

Examples of Negligence

Safety regulations are set into place to prevent these injuries from occurring. OSHA and
the American Petroleum Institute have released specific guidelines, which
when followed, minimize the risks offshore workers might otherwise face.
Any of the following events can cause a worker to sustain dismemberment injuries:

If any of these factors contributed to an oil rig accident and the injuries
you sustained, then negligence was involved and you can file a lawsuit.
Few things are more painful or traumatic then losing a hand, foot, or
finger. Such an accident not only affects you in the short-term, but for
the rest of your life. When you experience such a life-changing injury,
you might never be able to return to work in the offshore industry.

How Amputations Work

In most of these instances, you will need to undergo amputation. Amputations
are often the only option after an offshore accident involving poor training,
a lack of safety equipment, defective machinery, or an explosion.

In order to determine whether or not you need an amputation, a physician
will examine your affected limbs and perform x-rays. The physician can
then decide how much of the limb he/she should remove as a result of the
damage. After the amputation is completed, the skin will need to be rearranged
and the bone or tendon may need to be shortened. If this is not possible,
a surgeon may take skin, muscle, or bone from other regions of the body.
The surgeon may also shape the remaining part of your limb so it can later
be paired with a prosthetic limb.

Fight for damages today!

Your medical bills will most likely be high and you may require ongoing
surgery and care. When another's carelessness so adversely affects
you, you deserve the chance to fight back! Under
the Jones Act, you could recover damages for lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering,
and loss of the enjoyment of life.

In the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, injured victims were
told to deny their injuries (
click here to learn more). This is unacceptable and something Arnold & Itkin
does not tolerate. You are not just someone fighting for compensation,
you are a human being that has been hurt and we will not allow an offshore
oil company to intimidate you into receiving a smaller settlement than
you deserve.

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What is it Like To Work
With Arnold & Itkin

Arnold & Itkin represented nearly a third of the crewmembers injured
in the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

I encountered professionalism, understanding, compassion… lot of compassion.
They really felt for what me and my wife were going through.

~ Deepwater Horizon Crew Member

Work with a lawyer who truly understands Maritime Law.

Because maritime law is so complex and so complicated, it is crucial that
you work with an attorney who has an in-depth understanding of how it
works and who has proven themselves in similar cases before.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

The verdicts and settlements listed on this site are intended to be representative
of cases handled by the maritime lawyers of Arnold & Itkin LLP. These
listings are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any other claims